Stupid Question

When asked if there is such a thing as a stupid question, my mind instantly goes to the summer of 2024. This was the summer that I got my first real job, this job was RSU4 aftercare. I went to multiple trainings beforehand. I was stoked to start on the dateOf June 23, 2024. I was so confident in my ability to relate to the children, and make it a positive environment that I didn’t think that I could mess up. Boy was I wrong, There were tables that I did not know how to set up, there were rules that I knew nothing about, and worst of all I didn’t know anybody. The kids came on the first day at 7 AM sharp, and I was just standing there not knowing what to do, not knowing what they were expecting or what even the day would look like. I went to work for four days not knowing what was going on, I didn’t talk to anybody, I didn’t talk to any of the kids I walked around, I paced , always copying the person closest. By the time my work week was done I was stressed, confused, and lost unsure as to whether this  job was what I cut it out to be. At the beginning of this week I was excited and now I just felt disappointed in myself. I’ll beat myself up for about three days not wanting to go back to work Monday. It wasn’t until Sunday night when I brought it up to my parents that I was nervous to drive to work that my mother said this “You’re never gonna get any better if you don’t ask questions”. I kind of blew this off, didn’t think much of it but part of me knew that it was important. 

I woke up the next morning nervous as ever getting behind the steering wheel shaking knowing that this day would most likely be no different than the rest.And I pulled into the parking lot I thought back to what my mother said about asking questions.I gave myself a pep talk I walked in with a different mindset.Instead of just standing there waiting for the children I decided to make be an issue and talk to my boss and see what I need to do.Instead of laughing at me like I thought she would and calling me dumb she’s supported me and gave me a rundown of what was expected in the morning.The entire day I think I asked at least 400 questions, but by the end of the day I was also confident in my ability to complete my job. Before I left for the day my boss stopped me on my way to my car and asked me why it took me a week to ask her anything. I told her because I was nervous I didn’t want to seem weak. She chuckled and explained to me this: There’s no such thing as a bad question, just a fear of being wrong And not seeing me as smart as the guy. After we had this brief conversation I went home and told my parents about my day at work. They were proud of me and it felt good to know that I had molded my experience for my first job into how I wanted to go instead of ignoring my questions and making the best of it. It’s because of this experience That I always ask my questions. I do not hold back because I know that maybe a question that I have, that could motivate another person to ask that question. A  single question can fix 1,000,000 problems. It just depends if you’re gonna ask it or not. No questions are dumb or stupid only the person that decides to back down because of fear of failure. 

“A Stupid Question” by Pesky Library is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.